A Bangladeshi scientist who helped develop a cheap oral vaccine against cholera, a Pakistani microfinance pioneer and a Filipino fisherman were among Tuesday's winners of Asia's equivalent to the Nobel Prize.Firdausi Qadri, 70, was one of five recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award – named after a Filipino president killed in a plane crash – for her "life-long devotion to the scientific profession" and "untiring contributions to vaccine development".Working at t

British drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline and South Korean peer SK bioscience have begun final stage trials of a COVID-19 jab after positive early results, they announced Tuesday.The vaccine is facing a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess its "safety and immunogenicity" when compared with AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine, the two companies said in a joint statement.GSK is still trailing in the wake of Anglo-Swedish rival AstraZeneca, which rapidly developed a successful jab alongside Oxford

Hundreds of schools in Jakarta threw their doors open to students Monday, as some parents resisted the return to in-person learning weeks after Indonesia overtook India and Brazil as the pandemic's global epicentre.In Jakarta, the preliminary reopening applies to students from just 610 of more than 10,000 schools, from pre-school through high school. Elsewhere, in-person learning has resumed in less badly hit areas at the local government's discretion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday that another 236,000 people could die from COVID in Europe by 1 December, sounding the alarm over rising infections and stagnating vaccine rates on the continent.The warning comes as the world passed the grim milestone of 4.5 million deaths from COVID since the start of the pandemic, according to an AFP tally Monday. Infections rates are ticking up globally again, as the highly transmissible Delta variant takes hold –especially among

The Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 is causing major problems across the world. Estimated to be at least twice as transmissible as the original virus, it is challenging the measures that governments took in 2020. Thailand and South Korea are seeing accelerating cases and deaths, after having successfully managed their epidemics last year. New Zealand and Australia find themselves in snap lockdowns.

In the days since taking power in Afghanistan, a wide range of Taliban figures have entered Kabul –hardened commandos, armed madrassa students and greying leaders back from years of exile.  There has been one major exception – the group's supreme leader.But the Taliban confirmed Sunday that Hibatullah Akhundzada is in Afghanistan and could soon make a public appearance for the first time. "He is present in Kandahar.

Two Japanese regions suspended use of some Moderna COVID-19 shots on Sunday after more cases of contamination were spotted, the local governments said.The move came a day after the Japanese health ministry said it was investigating the death of two men who received doses from other tainted Moderna batches – though the cause of death is unknown.Okinawa prefecture, in southern Japan, said it had suspended use of Moderna shots at a major vaccination centre in the city of Naha, while Gunma prefec

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:10 Million Jabs A Day India has given more than 10 million COVID-19 jabs in a single day for the first time as the South Asian giant bolsters its defences for a predicted new surge.The health ministry said the 10 million landmark was passed on Friday, beating the country's previous daily record of 9.2 million.Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the milestone as a "momentous feat" for the nation of 1.3 billion p

President Joe Biden said Friday that China was withholding "critical information" on the origins of COVID-19 after the United States (US) intelligence community said it did not believe the virus was a bioweapon – but remained split on whether it escaped from a lab.The US, however, does not believe Chinese officials had foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of the pandemic that has now claimed 4.5 million lives, according to the unclassified summary of an eagerly awa

As the Delta variant continues its global surge, experts are questioning whether the long-held goal of achieving herd immunity from COVID-19 through vaccination is still viable.Herd immunity is achieved when a certain threshold of the global population has either been inoculated against a pathogen or has recovered from infection.But whether or not it is achievable with COVID-19, with the regular emergence of more infectious strains, is up for debate."If the question is 'will vaccina